Draymond Green is a man of his word.
After Game 1, the Golden State Warriors forward said he needed to be more aggressive and felt "disgusted" with his performance. He lost his rhythm. At times, he lost his composure. His team lost the game. On Thursday night in Game 2, Green played with energy, physicality, and balance. It’s not a coincidence the Warriors evened their second-round series by throttling the Los Angeles Lakers, 127-100.
“I loved his game at both ends,” coach Steve Kerr said postgame. “He rebounded. He defended. He got the ball moving. Draymond was brilliant.”
From the opening tip, Green demonstrated a decisiveness discernibly different than 48 hours ago. Second possession of the game, Green infiltrated the lane and opened the Warriors scoring with an uncontested layup. He sprinted back down the court to alter an Anthony Davis miss in the paint, a place the Lakers big man owned in their first matchup. Green made life difficult for Davis while attacking a sagging Los Angeles defense that paid largely no attention to him in Game 1.
“We played with more force. The ball didn’t stick,” Green said postgame. “I thought – Game 1, I was very indecisive on both ends, and I just wanted to change that tonight.”
Green’s intent was apparent, nearly notching a triple-double: 11 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. He only committed two turnovers in 28 minutes.
A large part of Green’s effectiveness was due to a newfound spacing on the court. Kevon Looney fell ill on Wednesday night and was limited, forcing JaMychal Green into the starting lineup. Kerr said that move was intended to spread the Lakers' defense out and open driving lanes. The Warriors made 21 three-pointers for a second consecutive game but scored over twice as many points in the paint (48) as they did in Game 1 (23).
With 9:30 in the first quarter, Green ran a high pick-and-roll with Stephen Curry out beyond the arc. Curry hit Green with an in-stride bounce pass and Los Angeles didn’t put a body on him, expecting Green to pass. Instead, he dove to the rim for an easy layup. Later, at the 4:15 mark of the second quarter, Green got the ball at the elbow. It’s a place he typically looks to facilitate. Jordan Poole curled around him, expecting a dribble handoff. Green faked the give, turned, and drained a 20-foot jump shot. In both sequences, there was zero hesitation.
Defensively, Green was equally as impactful.
Davis shredded the Warriors in Game 1, scoring a game-high 30 points. Green didn’t allow him to get comfortable in Game 2, as evident by Davis’ 2-for-7 shooting in the first half. Davis finished 5-of-11 from the field.
“[Assistant coach] Chris DeMarco showed me some film, and said, ‘I don’t know who this guy is defensively.’” revealed Green after the game. “I took that to heart and I knew I had to have a good game in order for us to win.”
He found himself. The Warriors found their way back into the series.
Green was the primary defender on one of the toughest covers in the NBA. Davis owns the height, weight, and reach advantage over Green, but that’s never stopped the former Defensive Player of the Year before. Green has been undersized his entire career, using quickness and long arms to bother opposing scorers. After Game 2, Davis claimed his looks weren’t any different and that he “just missed them.” The shots might have felt similar, but Green contested the majority of them. It was also telling that whenever Green checked out, with Davis still on the floor, the Lakers forward instantly looked for his shot. It was as if Davis attempted to jam-pack his offense into the few minutes No. 23 wasn’t out there.
Green made an All-NBA talent feel uncomfortable. That presence was also felt on the glass as Golden State out-rebounded Los Angeles 55-40 with 12 minutes from the postseason’s leader in that category – Looney. Green picked up that task too, leading all players in rebounding.
The Swiss Army knife played big when the Warriors needed him to. Nobody was surprised. Throughout his career and already in this postseason, Green has followed a poor game with an impactful one. He complimented the Splash Brothers beautifully in Game 2 in a patented ‘Big 3’ performance. Klay Thompson rained in 8 three-pointers while Curry dished out 12 assists. The duo combined for 50 points. Yet, it was Green that glued the game together, on both ends.
The series is now tied at one, heading back to Los Angeles. Golden State couldn’t afford to go to SoCal down two games to none. Green understood the situation and delivered.
Whether Green can maintain his production could determine the series, but in the words of Thompson: “Just like Steph, we go as Dray goes.”
Related
